Fighting, Heart and Soul
by Rasiaa
Summary: He never had any hope of defeating her, The Third Espada, when he was only Fifth. "A monster like you is not worthy of my blade more than once."


For years,

They fought,

Blade to blade,

Heart to heart,

Soul to soul.

.

There was no

Regret

When he pushed

Her off the edge

And watched her fall.

.

He never

Thought that

She could possibly

Wield more power

Than he.

.

If her gender

Was the only problem

Then why didn't

He have the same

Issue with Halibel?

.

He never

Had any hope

Of defeating her

The Third Espada

When he was only Fifth.

.

_Sparks flew every time their blades crossed. The clank of metal against metal echoed throughout the training grounds, closely followed by a set of heavy footsteps and lighter ones. Harsh panting was concealed by the other two sounds, but there was no mistaking the movement of his shoulders, the weakening blows, the delayed reactions that came from exhaustion. And the Third Espada wouldn't be Third if she couldn't see them._

_But she allowed no reprieve, and pushed on regardless of his wavering skills. He wouldn't last much longer, and they both knew it. It was a shame, he kept thinking, since this was the biggest challenge he had ever presented her, and she wasn't even slightly winded. She showed no signs of needing a rest. It was infuriating. _

_With a flick of her wrist and a lessening of her grip on the hilt of her smaller sword, the blade twisted around in her grip and undercut the large, circular blade that Nnoitora wielded. It flew from his grasp, the chain on the end tugging on his arm and taking him with it into the wall, which gave way beneath his weight and crashed down on top of him. It took him a moment, but he stood from the rubble to find her walking away, head held high and turquoise hair flowing down her shoulders. To his shame and fury, he realized the wounds he had thought he had inflicted were nothing more than his imagination. She was not hurt. _

"_Oi!" he called, anger lancing his tone. Anger at himself, for losing. Anger at Neliel, for being so much more powerful. Anger at his own weaknesses. Anger at the dizziness that fogged his brain, making his thoughts slower and less precise. "Where do you think you're going, Neliel?"_

_The warrior queen paused, but did not turn to face him. "I am going home, Octava. I was training my Fraccion before you interrupted, and I would like to continue their progress." She resumed her walk towards her palace._

_Still furious, Nnoitora grabbed his weapon and used Sonido to catch up to her. "I ain't finished with you, yet!" he screamed, swinging wildly in the direction of her head. She ducked, and swiveled on her heel, still low. She tripped him with one outstretched foot and did a summersault, kicking him, hard, on his side as she rose. _

_"A monster like you is not worthy of my blade more than once."_

_._

She was

Not the same

As Halibel,

Who couldn't

Hold a candle to her.

.

He put his

Heart and soul

Into their battles

But never could

Be victorious

.

She made him

Stronger

Faster

Smarter

In fights following

.

Kicking and

Screaming

He rose

From Eighth to Fifth

All because of her.

.

Despite his

Burning hatred

For her and her power

He was happier

When she was around.

.

_"A monster like you is not worthy of my blade more than once."_

_Even though it had been a very long time- over a decade, in fact- since she had said that to him, the words still circled around in his head, distracting him and making him angry and bitter towards her and the other Espada, even though he knew they did not deserve it. Arrancar 43, Szayel Aporro Granz told him that it was useless thinking so often about something that she had said only once, a long time ago, but Nnoitora just told him to stuff it. Miffed, Granz didn't speak to him about it again._

_The problem was that Neliel hadn't said it only once. She said something similar every time they fought. Every time he was beaten into the ground, she humiliated him by calling him all sorts of different names. "Monster", "Beast", "Animal", and "Disgrace" were a few of her favorites. _

"_Battle isn't fought for enjoyment, Octava. Only animals fight for enjoyment."_

"_You are a beast. I cannot accept you as a warrior. I have no desire to be burdened with the life of one who is no warrior."_

"_Arrancar regain reason when we lose our masks, but you… You are a disgrace, an animal still."_

_All of those statements, or some variation of them, led him to his decision to get rid of her._

.

As he died

The only thing

He could see

Was her

"Nnoitora?"


End file.
